Published 4:00 am, Saturday, January 22, 2000

2000-01-22 04:00:00 PDT Colfax, Iowa -- The pack of candidates vying for the GOP presidential nomination this year were supposed to abide by Ronald Reagan's "11th commandment" and not speak ill of other Republicans.

But that was before the issue of abortion blew up in Iowa.

With just three days to go before 200,000 Iowans officially start the 2000 presidential race at their crucial caucuses, GOP candidates are battling harder than ever to win Iowa's anti-abortion vote. The reason: Polls show two-thirds of Republican voters who will be attending those caucuses believe abortion should be outlawed.

Texas Gov. George W. Bush, the GOP front-runner, has attempted to walk a fine line on the volatile issue. The governor has steadfastly avoided speaking about abortion at public events, though when asked, Bush explains that he opposes abortion except in cases of rape, incest or when the mother's life is at stake.

Earlier this week, he raised eyebrows when he called the 1973 Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision "a reach" that overstepped constitutional bounds. Yesterday, while touring a teen center, he again set off alarms when asked if the law should be repealed. Bush said it should be "up to each state legislature" to decide laws on abortion.

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The words were met by taunts from GOP hopeful Steve Forbes, who has lambasted the governor repeatedly, accusing him of ducking the issue of judicial appointments and an anti-abortion running mate.

"Come on, even if people disagree with you, they'll respect you for having a firm stand and believing in principle," said Forbes.

Conservative Gary Bauer, another Republican presidential contender, was even tougher on Bush during a fund-raiser at a Des Moines hotel on Thursday. Flanked by Bobby and Kenny McCaughey, parents of the famed Iowa sextuplets, whom he called the "first family of Iowa," Bauer all but called Bush a washout on abortion.

'DEATH SENTENCE FOR THE LITTLEST'

"Governor, it has not been a reach," he told his audience, packed with children and dominated by Christian conservatives. "It has been a death sentence for the littlest of us all -- 35 million American children have been destroyed."

Bush appeared flustered when reporters asked him yet again about the issue yesterday. "This is a case where the court stepped across its bounds and usurped the right of the legislatures," he said.

"I've got a good pro-life record," he told reporters. "This is not a new position."

Then the governor tried to sidestep further discussion of the issue, referring reporters to his position papers.

That's a clear contrast to Forbes, Bauer and conservative commentator Alan Keyes, who in Iowa cannot stop talking about the issue on Main Street, at rubber-chicken lunches, in schools and in pregnancy crisis centers -- and they've taken special aim at Bush.

But they cannot be everywhere at once, so television has become an important tool for those hoping to underscore the issue with emotional ads.

GOD'S CHILDREN

"I won't stop until every one of God's children is welcomed into the world," Bauer declares, as he cuddles a baby, in his latest TV spot.

Another ad, featuring photos of newborns and the sound of a beating heart, intones: "Stop the killing. Vote your conscience. Vote Alan Keyes."

As the candidates moved from Main Street to hotel meetings with supporters, the issue wasn't far from the minds of many Republicans.

"Yes, it's very important to me," said Sharon Berger of Des Moines, who came out in freezing temperatures to attend Bauer's nighttime fund-raiser this week at Hotel Fort Des Moines. Surrounded by her daughter-in-law and two young grandchildren, Berger said she is concerned about abortion because it is tied to issues of "morals in general, and other issues like euthanasia."

"I've always supported the right to life," said Bill Smith, 27, a Drake University Law student, at Bauer's fund-raiser. "I'd been leaning toward Bush because he was a front-runner . . . but Alan Keyes and Gary Bauer were more in touch . . . and (Bauer) talks about it in a very powerful way."

Such talk was just what Maryls Popma, Bauer's national deputy political director, wanted to hear.